Bad Apples And Good Eggs

ANNA and I have just spent 24 hours in Liverpool, where we were totally charmed by immaculately clean streets, two knockout cathedrals, good coffee, the Tate, sunshine on the Mersey, the richest of histories explained in thought-provoking museums and excellent vintage shops. We used SplitMyFare to buy train tickets in a money-saving exercise that gave us 28 tickets for two trains.

- Lucy Baring

I sat next to a retired teacher who was on her way to Sheffield for a reunion with staff, some of whom she hasn’t seen since 1974. We covered a lot of conversational ground, including that her friend had recently complained to his MP—Theresa May—about potholes in his road, which Mrs May then came to inspect. We agreed this was surprising and impressive, given that there’s quite a lot going on.

Meanwhile, I kept one eye on the stops, wondering if I’d need to move seats (if someone else had booked 19F) at Reading or Banbury or Oxford or Leamington Spa. Having enough tickets to play Pelmanism makes one quite tense.

SplitMyFare goes against my natural disposition, which is to pay the absolute most for absolutely everything, just in case someone thinks I’ve done something wrong.

I am less likely to ‘switch service provider’ than fly to the moon. I buy things because I think I’ve raised the hopes of the salesperson. If the sign says Keep Off the Grass, I definitely, completely and utterly wouldn’t go near the grass. I am not and never will be a disrupter. Or fiscally competent.